Naturalistic Paganism
[Rotting Silver] “A Book of Charms” by B. T. Newberg
Wit against ogres, discernment against elves,
Self-worth against vampires, courage against ghosts,
Laughter against spooks, and critique against angels,
Gratitude for flowers, patience with weeds,
Industry in sunshine, and rest in rain,
Greeting in thunder, kinship in thunderbolts,
Caution against vipers, forgiveness for cast-off skins,
Charity for snails, respect for the crow,
Wrath for leeches, sympathy for wasps,
Posterity in eagles, and destiny in worms,
Candor in disease, wisdom in sanity,
Nakedness in the mirror, and a veil among swine,
Worship in a good year, action in dearth,
A clean house, and a fondness for mud,
Love in darkness, lightness in sorrow,
Levity in fever, and work in fire,
Loneliness on the mountain, aid in the field,
Joy at home, and sensitivity in caves,
Waywardness in forests, perseverance in desert,
Buoyancy in rivers, and surrender in the ocean,
Burial in water, rebirth from a well,
Roundness in autumn, and thinness in spring,
Crookedness in growth, and a solid sense of mist. Read More
Neo-Pagan History Quiz
Click below to take this 12 question quiz and see how much you know about the history of Neo-Paganism. (And feel free to challenge me about the answers in the comments.)
click here
Summer Solstice for Humanistic Pagans
Today is this summer solstice.
Bart Everson of A Celebration of Gaia observes how those in the United States have forgotten the meaning of the summer solstice:
“Sadly, most Americans are ignorant of this seasonal moment. We seem marginally more familiar with the winter solstice, probably because of the vast commercial pressures that have accreted around that time in late December. Even so, most of us remain unaware that the winter solstice, our time of maximum tilt away from the sun, is the inverse, the opposite, the antithesis of the summer solstice. Six months removed from one another, we might regard these two celestial events as antipodes, points on opposite sides of a circle representing the cycle of the seasons. Read More
[Starstuff, Contemplating] “Celebrating the Sun on Summer Solstice” by Heather and Jon Cleland-Host
Starstuff, Contemplating is a regular column at HumanisticPaganism.com: “We are assemblages of ancient atoms forged in stars – atoms organized by history to the point of consciousness, now able to contemplate this sacred Universe of which we are a tiny, but wondrous, part.”
Come celebrate in the heat of the Sun! Summer Solstice (or Litha) is the longest day of the year. The Sun rises early and sets late into the night. In some places, it does not set at all. Though it is the longest day of the year, it is not as hot as it will be in August when the hot temperatures peak. Here in Michigan, the season leading up to the Summer Solstice is perhaps the easiest time to get ourselves (and the kids) outdoors. School is just out, and the kids are ready to party. It’s a time for barbeques, a day at the beach or on the lake, campfire stories and roasting marshmallows, stargazing on a warm summer night, and more. Solstice feels magical, so it is no surprise that it is the time of a magical story like Shakespeare’s Midsummer Night’s Dream. Read More
Summer Solstice Music Mix by Bart Everson
Summer solstice songs are few and far between. Sure, there’s any number of pleasant if generic instrumental electronic jams that reference the longest day in their titles, but substantive connections are harder to find. In fact, if it weren’t for Shakespeare, we’d have mighty slim pickings indeed. Props to the Bard. Enjoy, and Happy Solstice!
Click on the image above to play.
The Mix-Master: Bart Everson
In addition to writing the A Pedagogy of Gaia column here at HumanisticPaganism, Bart Everson is a writer, a photographer, a baker of bread, a husband and a father. An award-winning videographer, he is co-creator of ROX, the first TV show on the internet. As a media artist and an advocate for faculty development in higher education, he is interested in current and emerging trends in social media, blogging, podcasting, et cetera, as well as contemplative pedagogy and integrative learning. He is a founding member of the Green Party of Louisiana, past president of Friends of Lafitte Corridor, sometime contributor to Rising Tide, and a participant in New Orleans Lamplight Circle.
See all of Bart Everson’s posts.
Buy Godless Paganism (paperback)
Buy Godless Paganism (ebook)
Pagan Coming Out Day – May 2nd
Naturalistic Paganism 