Pagan Bloggers with Naturalistic Worldviews
As of tonight, I am out. I acknowledged the publication of my book and publicized a radio interview coming up on Sunday to my entire friends list on Facebook, which includes professional and political associates. For my entire career, I have kept my religious life out of my professional life. It doesn’t belong there, and … Continue reading Out
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A lot of what being a Pagan is about is paying attention. Being connected to the world and to yourself means being aware of subtle feelings and changes in conditions that many around us simply may not notice. Some of this is knowing the Earth lore for your region: what is the first tree to … Continue reading Opening to Subtle Changes
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It’s the 4th of July: Independence Day in the U.S., a time of patriotic celebration. I am a patriot. By that, I mean that I 1) love the land, water, air, and people of the United States, and want the best for them; 2) I am well familiar with and do not deny the historical … Continue reading Patriotism and Ritual Cleansing
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It’s the day after Midsummer—at least, here in the Northern Hemisphere—and it’s hot and sunny, as one would expect. Meanwhile, the chaos weather of global climate change goes on: Banff had 25 cm of snow last night. I had a quiet Midsummer: set out my Sun Broom to soak up the sun and wove some … Continue reading A Solar Reflection
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It’s a soft, foggy morning: the kind we often have in coastal Northern California summers, where inland heat has pulled cool, moist air from the ocean over us like a gray flannel blanket. The fog will burn off in late morning. leaving a perfectly temperate, sunny day. Great for gardens and humans, such weather fills … Continue reading On a Foggy Summer Morning
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Atheopagans are what is called in philosophical circles naturalists. That means that we believe that everything is a part of nature, is composed of natural material, and is subject to the laws of physics. Everything. Accordingly, barring the arrival of a substantial and compelling body of evidence in support of the idea that rituals and mental … Continue reading The Magic of a World Without Magic
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This week, Christians are celebrating their belief that someone rose from the dead, and—for unclear and not entirely logical reasons—that they are therefore absolved of a moral stain they believe they were born with. I do not subscribe to any of that. I don’t believe in original sin. I don’t believe in life after death, … Continue reading There is No Resurrection
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As I begin this blog post, I am sitting in bed, sipping coffee. It is early morning. A series of waves of Canada geese are going overhead. I can’t see them, but I can hear them crying into the sky as they make their way onward. I think of Mary Oliver, of course, and remember … Continue reading Take a Moment: A Meditation
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It’s definite now: the light is stronger, the days are longer. Here in the northern hemisphere, winter is passing, and spring is coming on. Where I live, in coastal Northern California, the very first wildflowers are the milk maids, and they are already gone now, faded to buttercups and hounds’ tongues and shooting stars: the … Continue reading Burgeoning
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Last night, 2019’s only lunar eclipse took place: a spectacular “supermoon” eclipse. We watched it from our back yard, watching the Moon slowly darken into a ruddy ball, and then, dramatically, the bright edge of ordinary Sun-lit surface burst into being and steadily reclaim it. Lunar eclipses are really cool. Astronomical events as a whole … Continue reading Contemplating a Red Moon
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