Pagan Bloggers with Naturalistic Worldviews
Traditionally, rituals have not only been for holidays or personal practice. They also mark milestones in life, when something major is occurring and the community wants to acknowledge that change. Naming ceremonies, passages into adulthood, weddings, and funerals are all examples of rites of passage. This is a tradition that appears to go back a long … Continue reading Atheopagan Rites of Passage
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Recently, I posted about customizing your own Atheopagan Wheel of the Year— creating a cycle of observances of the equinoxes, solstices and points between as an 8-holiday cycle of rituals and traditions. However, I believe there are more holidays (“holy days”) than just these. Those on the Wheel are the ones we can predict will come … Continue reading Seize the (Unusual) Day!
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In Atheopaganism, similar to many other Pagan paths, we celebrate eight Sabbaths, or holy days: the solar equinoxes and solstices, and the points between them. But I encourage folks to adapt this calendar to fit the circumstances of the places where we live, choosing our own names and meanings for these holidays as necessary. Why … Continue reading Creating Your Own Wheel of the Year
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When I do Atheopagan rituals—particularly with other people—most of the time I follow a simple structure which facilitates passage into the Ritual State, also known sometimes as “trance” or “flow”. That structure and the concepts and principles surrounding it are explored in detail in the Atheopagan Ritual Primer, which can be downloaded here. Now, I should … Continue reading New Thoughts on the “Arrival” Phase of Atheopagan Ritual
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Walking in nature is a very healthy thing to do. It’s exercise, it fills your lungs with good air and your eyes with beauty, it reduces stress and blood pressure and depression. It is a sacred activity and, all by itself, constitutes an “informal” Atheopagan ritual. This article is about adding a symbolic, ritual dimension … Continue reading Pilgrimage Hiking
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In times like these, those of us who are of sound mind and values know: we must do something. In Atheopaganism, we believe in the power and necessity of human ritual. We understand the science about why rituals work, and why they are important to us. We celebrate the turning of the seasons and personal and familial … Continue reading Rituals Are Important. But They Aren’t Activism.
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Friends and Allies, let us grieve. Let us grieve that an era of progress and forward thinking appears to be drowning in a sea of ignorance, hatred and fear. Let us grieve that reason has been swamped by credulity, and science by superstition and willful ignorance. Let us grieve. Let us tear the words from … Continue reading Requiem and Invocation
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I’m asked pretty frequently for sample Atheopagan group (as opposed to solitary) ritual scripts, and I never deliver them. Here’s why. I don’t write ritual scripts. I have hardly ever been to a group ritual where leaders/facilitators “read their lines” (or had obviously memorized them) that didn’t feel like a waste of my time, and … Continue reading Why I Don’t Write Ritual Scripts
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The Sun broom is both a Midsummer ritual and a tool you can use ritually around the year. You will need: A piece of tree branch for a handle. Don’t hurt a tree; go for a hike and find something that has already fallen to the ground. Thin ribbon or strong twine for binding grasses … Continue reading The Sun Broom—A Ritual Tool
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When we create rituals, we define a separate condition, a special state of being within which our intentions, our aspirations and our ritual activities are expressed. The common term for this condition is “sacred space”. There are many ways to create sacred space. Among the most common is the concept of “creating a container”, which … Continue reading A Still and Sacred Moment
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