Naturalistic Paganism
“Nature and Values Beyond the Binary” by Crafter Yearly
Wicca and Wicca-Influenced Paganisms draw upon the symbols of the Goddess and the God. The two together represent balance. Central to their symbolic power is that each plays a role in creation. Together, they can create life through union. The magic inherent in their relationship is responsible for the continuing of life. Read More
“Humanistic Heathens defend their support of marriage equality” by John Halstead
This past February, I shared a report that an Icelandic Heathen group, Ásatrúarfélagið, also known as the Ásatrú Society of Iceland, was building the first pagan temple in that country in 1000 years. The report was of interest to Humanistic Pagans, because the high priest of the group, Hilmar Orn Hilmarsson, had been criticized by both theists and atheists — including some Pagans — in the U.S. for his statement that the the gods are “poetic metaphors” and “manifestations of the forces of nature and human psychology,” a sentiment which resonates with many Humanistic Pagans. This was something of an embarrassment for some of the more dogmatic Polytheists in the U.S. Some further investigation revealed Ásatrúarfélagið is a non-dogmatic faith, and that the beliefs of its adherents may range from atheism to pantheism to a tepid sort of theism. It was clear though that the group’s high priest, Hilmarsson, wished to distance himself from what he called the “fundamentalist Ásatrúar” in the United States. Read More
Mid-Month Meditation: “Power”: Cheryl Strayed reads Adrienne Rich
(Marie Curie, Adrienne Rich, Cheryl Strayed)
We encourage our readers to use these Mid-Month Meditations as an opportunity to take a short break from everything else. Rather than treating these posts the way you would any other post, set aside 10 minutes someplace quiet and semi-private to have an experience. Take a minute to relax first. After listening to the recording, take a few minutes to let the experience sink in. If it feels right, leave a comment.
Cheryl Strayed hiked a thousand miles on the Pacific Crest Trail to put herself in the way of truth and beauty in a thoroughly transformative experience that became the magnificent memoir Wild that then became a major motion picture. In this recording, Strayed recounts her brush with the life-saving power of poetry and reads the first poem from Adrienne Rich’s 1977 masterwork, The Dream of a Common Language, titled “Power.” Folded into this nuanced homage to Marie Curie — a woman who died a “martyr to science” after a lifetime of crusading for curiosity and — is an exquisite meditation on what power really means.
“The Feminine and Masculine Principle in Modern Paganism, a Non-Theist Perspective” by Silverspear
This essay was originally published at Pagan Pathways.
Pagan theology can be extremely complex. Many Pagans recognise a variety of independent deities, known as polytheism. Others subscribe to henotheism, which is rather similar to polytheism, except the focus is only on a singular and supreme deity – a sort of chief god above other gods. Other Pagans subscribe to pantheism, a belief system that perceives God and the universe as one and the same. Other Pagans are monistic, a non-dualistic approach that is not dissimilar to pantheism, and which places no distinction between spirit and matter. Some Pagans perceive God as immanent, rather than transcendent in a monotheistic sense, with lesser deities and spiritual beings believed to be aspects or emanations of the One. In other words, there is said to be a continuity of “Divine Substance” (for want of a better term) from the top to the bottom. There are also Goddess worshippers who identify only with a female deity, said to be the Earth or the natural world, and who have little or no interest in transcendent-based theology, although there are exceptions to this approach. Read More
Malala Day: “Girl Rising”
Today is the 18th birthday of Malala Yousafzai. It also marks “Malala Day”, an education awareness event. Read More
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Pagan Coming Out Day – May 2nd
Naturalistic Paganism 