Letting Go of Stuff: Heathen Feng Shui?
A few months ago I read an article called Norwegian Feng Shui in which the author tied together her Norwegian roots and her interest in feng shui. I thought it was a pretty cool article. I’m not totally up on feng shui with its bagua and five elements (earth, fire, water, wood, metal) instead of Celtic four...
I’m Anti-Consumerist, Not Anti-Capitalist
Our enormously productive economy demands that we make consumption our way of life, that we convert the buying and use of goods into rituals, that we seek our spiritual satisfactions, our ego satisfactions, in consumption… We need things consumed, burned up, worn out, replaced, and discarded at an ever increasing pace. We need to have people...
Hamingja – The Embodiment of Luck
The Norse embodied the idea of personal luck in a spirit called a hamingja. (It’s pronounced HA-ming-yah; thanks to Alda Villiljós for the correct pronunciation!) Each person has their own hamingja following them around, and just like some people have stronger muscles than others, some people’s hamingjas are stronger than others. Nobody’s hamingja wishes them...
Newt-G and I Agree On Something. Oh, And It’s Snowing in Tartarus
“The effort to create alternatives to marriage between a man and a woman are perfectly natural pagan behaviors…” – Newt Gingrich on Jan. 25, 2012 during a conference call with Jim Garlow (The full call can be found on his website) Wow, break out the trumpets! Newt-G said something I agree with. Of course, he...
Maiden Mother Crone
The waxing/full/waning moon, as seen on Bri’s (our mascot – Brisingamen’s) crown, might be the second most recognized symbol of Paganism after the pentacle. It uses the phases of the moon to represent feminine power and the cycle of change that is birth, creation, death, and rebirth. The roundness of the full moon recalls the...
Yule 2011 – A Look Inside a Heathen Holiday
For those unfamiliar with what a Yule celebration looks like in a Heathen household (well half-Heathen anyway, TheScott being of the Catholic persuasion), GG and I decided to share with you what we did this year. Due to all the December festivities, TheScott and I hosted a (very) late Yule celebration this year. Growing up...
How I Became a Pagan Old Fart
I just did it, that thing I said I would never do. A n00b asked a question,* and I got all puffed-up-affronted like a Pagan Old Fart (POF). I didn’t say it, but I have to admit, my initial response to their (numerous) queries was, “Um… get a book.” What happened?? How did I come...
Responses Requested from the Realm: What Do You Want to See at The Pagan Princesses?
Before we move on to the article… if you haven’t seen it, The Pagan Princesses were thrilled to be interviewed for an article in the Austin American Statesman. If you’re coming here for the first time based on that article, we hope you enjoy your tour of “The Realm” and come back again!* Comments are...
Blessings for Modranicht: The Meaning of Love
In a letter to the citizens of Corinth, the early Christian evangelist Paul said that love is patient and kind, and is not envious, nor boastful, nor proud. It’s a beautiful message beautifully worded, and like many people, I have always found it uplifting. I was an adult, however, before I realized what I perceived...
Pagan Strong: A Response to My Governor’s New Ad
I’m not ashamed to admit that I’m a Pagan, but you don’t need to dance naked in the moonlight every 28 days* to know there’s something wrong in this country when the Pagan in my household is the one dragging the Christian out to buy a tree and sing carols around it. And with the...
A Picture That’s Worth 1000 Words (of My Complaining)
You know, sometimes I KNOW it would be better to just leave something alone, but criminently, my dander gets up and I just can’t. So…ranting by Jax. I haven’t been to journalism school or anything, but I have a few basic ideas about journalistic standards, and as a writer with an English degree, I have...
Ancestor Veneration in Practice
As I wrote a couple weeks ago, ancestor veneration is a part of many faiths, including several branches of Paganism. Anyone can set an altar up, and for a lot of people, myself included, regularly renewing our connection to the past through the practice of ancestor veneration is not only comforting, but powerful. Ancestors are there...
