Naturalistic Paganism
On this day long ago, a child was born who, by age 30, would transform the world … Isaac Newton.
On this day long ago, a child was born who, by age 30, would transform the world. Sir Isaac Newton was born Dec 25, 1642.* Before he turned 30, Newton had discovered the laws of motion, the universal law of gravitation, and invented integral and differential calculus.
Newton discovered the proofs which allowed for the calculation of planetary orbits, articulated his three laws of motion (including the idea which all high schoolers learn that every action has an equal and opposite reaction, explained the effect of the moon’s gravity on the tides, and discovered that white light is composed of light of all the colors of the rainbow. Read More
Winter Solstice
For Neo-Pagans in the Northern Hemisphere, the solstice is celebrated as Yule. This year, the date falls on December 22nd. The precise date and time for the cross-quarter can be found at archaeoastronomy.com.
At the Winter Solstice, NaturalPantheist of the Nature is Sacred blog performs a ritual which begins with this prelude: Read More
“Looking for a ‘New’ Christmas Ritual? Try Something Old.” by Debra Macleod
Ah, those nativity scenes outside churches this time of year are pretty aren’t they? The little baby, the cattle, the quaint little manger. I think they’re lovely – yet I don’t actually believe the nativity story for a moment.
And I’m not alone. We live in a multicultural society where this holiday season means different things to different people. That’s a good thing. Cultural and spiritual differences can add richness and relevance to a society. And if we choose to embrace that, these differences can be unifying instead of divisive. If someone says “Merry Christmas” to me, I’ll say “Merry Christmas” back, even though to me there’s no “Christ” in the Christmas season. Read More
“A Pagan Response to the ‘War on Christmas'” by Debra Macleod
You’ve heard of the so-called “war on Christmas,” right? It’s where some Christians lament the choice of some people and organizations to say “Happy Holidays” instead of “Merry Christmas.” They’re mad as hell that society seems determined to “take Christ out of Christmas.” Read More
Modern Knowledge, Ancient Wisdom: “The Grim Reaper and The Second Law of Thermodynamics” by Trellia
This is a the fifth in a five-part miniseries about the intersection of Paganism and science by Trellia. This article first appeared at Trellia’s Mirror Book.
“The law that entropy always increases, holds, I think, the supreme position among the laws of Nature. If someone points out to you that your pet theory of the universe is in disagreement with Maxwell’s equations — then so much the worse for Maxwell’s equations. If it is found to be contradicted by observation — well, these experimentalists do bungle things sometimes. But if your theory is found to be against the second law of thermodynamics I can give you no hope; there is nothing for it but to collapse in deepest humiliation.”
– Sir Arthur Stanley Eddington
Simply put, the second law of thermodynamics states that whenever energy is transformed from one form to another form, entropy (disorder) increases and energy decreases. Read More
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Pagan Coming Out Day – May 2nd
Naturalistic Paganism 