Procrastination — A Very Long Four-letter Word
We all have things we are good at, skills that over time have bubbled to the top of the champagne glass that is life. For example, I’m pretty good at creative thinking; I’m an idea man (if you will). I’m also good at organizing (events, meetings, papers, rooms, etc). And I when I finally sit...
The Power of a Targeted Campaign: What Pagans Can Learn from the SOPA Blackout
Whether you agree with the proposed legislation or not, the online protest was impressive. The bills I’m referring to are the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) and the Protect Intellectual Property Act (PIPA). In case you were on vacation (somewhere exotic, I hope!), the protest happened Wednesday and involved sites voluntarily blacking out their content...
Obama’s Signing of NDAA is a Challenge to My Constitution
I ❤ Obama. No. I used to ❤ Obama. My political constitution is wavering. By most metrics, I am a liberal. I want equal rights and opportunities for all regardless of race, ethnicity, gender, religion, politics or sexual orientation, and I believe the government should be able to intervene to enforce this equality. I don’t...
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...
Repatriation (Return) of Ancient Remains: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly
Yesterday brought a momentous event to Peru. After nearly 100 years, the skeletal remains of 177 different Incans taken from Machu Pichu were returned. The remains were taken by an American explorer from Yale and then held at the university’s Peabody Museum. After years of failed diplomacy and ineffectual international legal action, Peru was granted...
Star Trek’s Seven Life Lessons: How do the Pagan Princesses Measure Up?
Earlier this week, David Borgenicht wrote an article in the Huffington Post called “7 Life Lessons You Can Learn from ‘Star Trek’.” Is it just me, or can his surname be translated into “Night of the Borg” in English?* [Hmm....admittedly, this colors my reading of his article.] Like David Borgenicht, I too am a Trekkie....
Forgiveness May be a Virtue Among Pagans But It Is Not a Pagan Edict
I have pondered forgiveness from a Pagan perspective for several years because holding a grudge is a family trait I have to resist. I started thinking about it again last week when I outed myself as leaving an oath unfulfilled.* I find myself in a position of having to either set things right or make...
A Good, Wholesome Pagan Girl
I’ve noticed we don’t get defined this way a lot. Pagans get defaulted to “mysterious” or “rebellious” or even “tech-savvy” but not “wholesome.” I think this is a real shame. Why? Because I’m a good, wholesome Pagan girl. In fact, I think there are a lot of good, wholesome people out there who are not...
The Power of an Oath
I consider myself a newbie to Heathenry and am trying to learn from others as I move towards Heathen practice. One way I learn from others is from email lists where like minded people (or sometimes unlike minded people) share experiences, knowledge and personal beliefs about a topic. The topic of oaths recently emerged on...
The Tenuous Line Between Freedom of Speech and Freedom of Religion
Over the summer, Wild Hunt reported on a federal court case that originated in Texas called Rainey et al. versus U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs et al. The plaintiffs (Rainey et al.) filed in June and argued the case was about Freedom of Speech.* The defendants (USDVA) argued it was about Freedom of Religion. As...
Oh, Behave! – Wyrd, Frith, and the Social Contract
One of the most common defenses people give for religion is that it brings order to society. People look to their faith to tell them how to be good people, and because of their fear of God, Hell, or even the punishing power of priests, people choose to behave...
Teetering Between “I Got This” and “I Want My Mommy”
A little while ago, Jax reported on her progress on equinoctial resolutions over the past year. This prompted me to reflect on my last year. I didn’t make any resolutions on the 2010 autumnal equinox. Or the 2011 one, either. So, this reflection wasn’t about what I had or hadn’t accomplished. It was more big...
