Human Sacrifice Pt. 2: The Stories
Happy Dia de los Muertos! Before I get started, I do want to clarify that DdlM has NOTHING to do with human sacrifice. It’s a day to celebrate your ancestors and other people who have passed on.There is nothing violent about it. And once again I will state for any new to the realm that...
Human Sacrifice Pt 1: What Is It? Who Did It? And Why Does the Definition Matter?
It starts today: a modern Pagan’s take on religion’s sordid past of death and dismemberment in the name of a god. This post’s not so gruesome (yet!)...
Finding My Heathen Goddesses
I am a feminist. And by feminist, I mean I believe (or rather insist) men and women should be treated equally.* Equal rights. Equal pay. Equal value. And that’s that. No man-hating, bra-burning, anti-feminine business for me. *nose wrinkle and grin* That was a bad joke; those are feminist stereotypes. I recognize, though, that some...
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...
Defining a Heathen
As a writer, specificity in the meaning of the words we use is important to me. I think a lot of miscommunication happens because people have a different idea of what a word means, which can lead to misunderstanding and even arguments. We should know what we mean when we use a word, and our...
Group Practice in Paganism: One size does not fit all
**Don’t forget our 1st Anniversary Happy Hour is this Friday from 5-7 at Butterfly Bar! Everyone’s welcome! RSVP here.** Jax has written about group practice a few times recently. This week, she wrote about us visiting a kindred this weekend, which I am excited about, and last month she posted about the challenges of celebrating...
Freyfaxi or Hlæfæst and Honoring Freyr
The month of August has a Heathen holiday called either Freyfaxi, Hlæfmæsse [say laugh-mass but stick an ‘h’ on the beginning: hlaf-mass; it means loaf-mass], or Hlæfæst [say hlaf-fast; it means loaf-feast] which celebrates the beginning of the harvest... In Heathenry, we dedicate this holiday to Freyr, one of the highest gods of the North...
Frith in the Modern World
Frith is an obsolete English word meaning “peace; freedom from molestation, protection; safety, security”. – Wikipedia Frith is not obsolete to Heathens. We sign our emails, “In frith,” we wish it to each other when we part, and it’s a common blessing on the holidays. It was one of the first unfamiliar concepts I encountered...
Pagan Stories of Apocalypse
Last Friday we posted a commentary on the prediction that May 21, 2011 will be the end of days. Basically, we said that prediction story was nonsense. But it is not a unique story, as religions across time have proffered apocalyptic tales. I wondered if Dr. Jung had anything to say about the psychology of...
Planning a Pagan Observance
Greetings Royal (and loyal) Readers! As you now, our Beltane celebration didn’t happen the way we wanted. Jax and I did break bread together on May 1st, but we did not ritual.* We firmly believe sharing time, wine, laughs and food (there must always be food!) is the best kind of “bare bones” observance of...
Walpurgis Night – The Other Beltane
Walpurgisnacht (Walburga’s Night / Walpurgis Night) is a popular Germanic holiday celebrated at the same time as Beltane... Now famous for the bonfires that light the hills of Sweden, the champagne toasts in Finland, and the pranks of southern Germany it has been known as both a witch’s holiday and the feast day of a...
Pagan Stories of Resurrection
Just as most cultures or religions have a creation myth, so do many have a story about resurrection. In fact, Carl Jung, along with other scholars, considered resurrection deities to be an archetype seated in our collective unconscious. Each of these stories provides a connection between humanity and the larger cycle of life, death and...
