O Stranger, I open my door and wait for your arrival.
With prayers, I open my door.
With music, I open my door.
With chanting, I open my door.
With meditations, I open my door.
With reading, I open my door.
With rites, I open my door.
With long contemplation, I open my door.
With laughter, I open my door.
With determination, I open my door.
With sorrow, I open my door.
But I can only open my door, Stranger. I cannot make you come. The hour grows dark, and I grow weary.
But even as I gaze out of my lonely door, you have crept in through the window.
Rotting Silver is a column devoted to this Earth in all its tarnished radiance: poetry, prose, and parables of ugliness alloyed with joy.
This piece was first published at The Witch’s Voice.
B. T. Newberg: Since the year 2000, B. T. has been practicing meditation and ritual from a naturalistic perspective. He currently volunteers as Education Director for the Spiritual Naturalist Society, where he is creating an online course in naturalistic spirituality. His writings can also be found at Patheos and Pagan Square, as well as right here at HP.
Professionally, he teaches English as a Second Language. After living in Minnesota, England, Malaysia, Japan, and South Korea, he currently resides in St Paul, Minnesota, with his wife and cat.
After founding HumanisticPaganism.com in 2011 and serving as managing editor till 2013, he now serves as advising editor, and feels blessed to be a part of this community.
This essay was originally published at The Spiritualist Naturalist Society.
The old question What is the Meaning of Life? has become something of a joke — not because it has been answered, but because it seems incapable of being answered. Below I attempt to address the question, though perhaps I only add to the joke. Read More
This essay was originally published at Trellia’s Mirror Book.
Not too long ago, this picture of a dress caused an internet storm. Some people (like me) see the dress as blue and black; others swear it is white and gold.* Some people are even capable of seeing it as both, or as different colours entirely. To my knowledge, it’s the very first time that a photograph has caused such a bizarre phenomenon. Read More
People love the idea of a fresh start. A clean slate. A chance to cleanse past mistakes, to right old wrongs, to move forward in life without the burden of bad memories or unhealthy habits. It’s why we’re drawn to significant dates such as the first day of a new week or new month, our birthday, or the New Year. We use that time, that “stroke of midnight” click of the second-hand, to hit the reset button on our lives. It’s a little bit of magic.
For many people, the reset button ushers in lifestyle changes like diet and exercise that we hope will improve our bodily health. How many of us have said, “Okay, I’m going to watch what I eat – starting Monday.”
But what about our spirit? How many of us dig a little deeper to discover that our spiritual and emotional well-being need to be renewed as well? Read More
This month, we remember the death of the German philosopher, Friedrich Nietzsche ( 1844-1900). Nietzsche is perhaps best known for his declaration that “God is dead”, published in his 1882 work The Gay Science. On the basis of that statement, many commentators regard Nietzsche as an atheist. Others, however, suggest that Nietzsche had a more subtle understanding understanding of divinity. Two poems by Nietzsche, one written early in his life and another near his death, invoke an “Unknown God”. Read More
Naturalistic Paganism
Naturalistic Paganism 