Pagan Bloggers with Naturalistic Worldviews
In early August, many Pagans will celebrate Lammas or Lughnasadh. As I type these words, raspberries are ripening on canes, sweet peas rest in their pods, the first tomatoes are blushing, and bees are buzzing in the lavender. There is so much goodness in our gardens, orchards, and farms. Fasting is a time-tested, spiritual practice that can help Pagans to receive these summer gifts in health, joy, appreciation, and thanks.
Hi, folks! Sorry for the radio silence; my head hasn’t been in pagan space much lately so I’ve been dealing with a bit of writer’s block in that direction. I’m starting to come out of it a bit, though, and I have a few… Continue Reading
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If I went to a public Pagan ritual this weekend, most likely someone would give a little homily about the meaning of the day. They would begin by explaining the meaning of the names “Lughnasadh” or “Lammas”, either etymologically or historically, and then explain how Lughnasadh is about sacrifice or some other harvest analogy. But the whole process is completely backwards. Instead of attuning ourselves to the actual cycles of nature, we end up trying to attune ourselves to an artificial cycle derived from a hodgepodge of Celtic lore and rural British customs. Rather than the seasons turning the Wheel of the Year, we are letting the Wheel turn the seasons. As a result, every explanation of a Pagan holiday has to begin with a disclaimer about why the holiday doesn’t match up with what our senses are actually telling us.
Bart Everson, author of “Spinning in Place,” speaks at the Venue Fine Arts and Gifts on July 9, 2017. On July 7, Bart Everson spoke about eco-spiritual practices at The Venue in Bloomington. A longtime atheist, Everson emphasized the celebration…
I recently made a trip to Indiana, as is my wont in the summertime. While I’m up there I always try to stir up some trouble. Some of my attempts are more successful than others. International Flag-Burning Day was a bust, for example. But there is evidence that some of my other provocations were more …
Continue reading “Two Radio Spots”
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Wherever you go, whatever you do, may this practice be as powerful for you as it is for me. In addition to all the details here, I’m interested to hear some of your stories.
There is a way we can be with one another. It is a way of kindness and mutual respect, of vulnerability and accountability. It is a way of playfulness and joy in the uniqueness and creativity of the other, a shared celebration. It is a way so powerful and yet so simple, a way so … Continue reading There is a Way
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Three steps toward creating a naturalistic devotional practice toward the earth.
Due to the seasonal lag, this is the hottest time of the year in many places in the Northern Hemisphere. Lammas thus celebrates the heat of the summer, and with it, productivity, safety, and the early harvest – as well as the returning darkness. Those in the Southern Hemisphere celebrate Imbolc at this time.
Many modern scholars think that Medusa petrified only men. 