Naturalistic Paganism
Late Autumn Theme: Humans
In Deep Time, late autumn can remind us of the rise of humans – just a short eyeblink of geological time ago, yet, perhaps, a profound event. The existence of us humans engenders strong emotions in we humans. In past times, some of us thought of us as the pinnacle of being, an exalted goal of evolution. Others (largely before that, but still some today) saw us as the literally depraved, worthless, fallen creatures corrupted by “sin”. A common view today sees us as a harmful disease afflicting our mother Earth. Still others rejoice in the wonder of our human brains, without equal in the Universe to our (admittedly limited) knowledge. Many of us combine aspects of these and other views – it’s not a simple topic, after all. Regardless of which view or combination we each old, many of us agree that the rise of humans has been a very significant event in the history of life on Earth. As with all themes, this just an optional muse.
Late Autumn (October 31 – December 21)
Cosmic event: The rise of humans (2 million years ago, through today)
Theme: Humans
Questions: How do we see humans and their effects? How does that effect our worldview and our spirituality? How can our spirituality influence our interactions with other humans, and our view of our own self-worth?
We care about the world.
With just a few days before the United States election, it’s inevitable that at least some of us are considering what our Naturalistic Paganism (under any name, and similar paths as well), has to do with our politics. While I of course can only speak for myself (Jon Cleland Host), I think that several aspects of any naturalistic path (including Naturalistic Buddhism, Naturalistic Judaism, Naturalistic Christianity, and more) make the question of political involvement pretty clear, and don’t support the idea that as a blog about spirituality, we should avoid anything political. Read More
You can help every child realize that they are stardust!
For many of us Naturalistic Pagans, the roots of our spirituality can be traced back to when we first realized what a vast, ancient Universe we are part of. Often, that began with Carl Sagan’s Cosmos, or Neil deGrasse-Tyson’s more recent remake of Cosmos. We now have a chance to help bring that magic to more kids who are wondering about it all as well. I’ve donated. For me, this is one tiny part of how I hope to embody my gratitude for my Ancestors as action for future generations.
From the site: When Bailey was eight years old, she was watching the TV program Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey with her family. In that evening’s episode, the host and narrator Neil deGrasse Tyson said, “The planets, the stars, the galaxies, we ourselves and all of life—the same star stuff.” Bailey was so excited by this idea that she immediately went up to the family computer, opened a new document, and started writing what eventually became this book, so that she could share what she had learned with children everywhere.
Bailey worked with her father over the next year to develop a story that they felt would teach children this idea, along with other areas of science such as evolution and astronomy, most effectively. After various versions of the story, and feedback from numerous parents and children, the story for My Name is Stardust was finalized. Here’s the link and video to the kickstarter project to make this book (about reality) a reality. Also, please consider sharing this with others.
Happy Fall Equitherm (Samhain)!
Our Ancestors reach back in an unbroken chain billions of years long.
Celebrations
Death, the dead, and our Ancestors fill our minds today.
Some of the ways many of us are celebrating were published a few weeks ago, and at least for my family, celebrations have been building, with our CUUPS ritual last night, parties Saturday, etc. I feel the connection between life and death, and see the echo of my grandparents in my kids. And did you see the Edinburgh Samhuinn Fire Festival? Wow – thousands of people celebrating Samhain! I’d love to make it to that some year – it would be a spiritual pilgrimage. For some of us, the celebrations will be later this week – the actual midpoint between the Equinox and the Solstice is November 6th. However you are celebrating, may your be celebration be blessed.
[Rotting Silver] “Dearly Departed, O Vapor of Earth” by B. T. Newberg
Dearly departed, O vapor of earth,
Though briefly sprayed, arise now for thy rebirth;
And though thy mist shall roll beyond the veil,
O’er summery lands or listless oceans pale, Read More
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Pagan Coming Out Day – May 2nd
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