Naturalistic Paganism
Three Inspiring Stories for National Arbor Day
“A few minutes ago every tree was excited, bowing to the roaring storm, waving, swirling, tossing their branches in glorious enthusiasm like worship. But though to the outer ear these trees are now silent, their songs never cease. Every hidden cell is throbbing with music and life, every fiber thrilling like harp strings, while incense is ever flowing from the balsam bells and leaves. No wonder the hills and groves were God’s first temples, and the more they are cut down and hewn into cathedrals and churches, the farther off and dimmer seems the Lord himself.”
— John Muir
The first Arbor Day in the United States was organized in 1872 in Nebraska. It is estimated that, on that day, one million trees were planted. Over the next 50 years, the other states followed suit and designated a state Arbor Day. National Arbor Day is celebrated every year on the last Friday in April. The customary observance is to plant a tree.
Here are three inspiring stories for Arbor Day: Read More
“John Muir, ‘Prophet of the Wilderness'” by John Halstead
Tomorrow, April 21, is the birthday of John Muir, considered by many to be a patron saint of the environmental movement. An earlier for of this essay was published at Neo-Paganism.com.
Pres. Theodore Roosevelt and John Muir (right) in Yosemite in 1903
John Muir is one of the patron saints of the environmental movement. He was an early conservationist and the founder of the Sierra Club. He wrote extensively about his exploration of the Sierra Nevada mountains of California, merging his inspiring personal experience of the sublimity of the natural world with a call for direct action to preserve wild nature. His activism helped to preserve Yosemite Valley and other wilderness areas as national parks. Read More
“Naturalistic Pantheism and Stoicism” by NaturalPantheist
April 20 is the birthday of the famous Stoic, Marcus Aurelius. In honor of him, today we hear from NaturalPantheist on the philosophy of Stoicism. This essay was originally published at the Nature is Sacred blog.
About Stoicism
Stoicism is an ancient Greek philosophy, developed by Zeno of Citium in Athens in the 3rd century BC and came from the ideas of Cynicism. It was further developed later by Roman philosophers including Epictetus and Seneca. The famous emporer Marcus Aurelius was a Stoic and many of the insights in his book Meditations reflect Stoicism. Like Epicureanism, Stoicism suffers a bad name and conjures images in people’s minds that do not accurately reflect the philosophy. Stoicism is often seen as advocating a pleasure-less and uncaring life, but, as author William Irvine points out, Stoicism can lead to a life of great joy. The aim of Stoicism, just like Epicureanism, was to help one lead a tranquil, virtuous and happy life. Read More
Margot Adler Day
Today is Margot Adler Day. Margot Adler (April 16, 1946 – July 28, 2014) was a Wiccan priestess, NPR correspondent, and author of Drawing Down the Moon: Witches, Druids, Goddess-Worshippers, and Other Pagans in America. She was one of the most influential people in the formation of contemporary Neo-Paganism. Read More
Mid-Month Meditation: Julia Roberts as Mother Nature
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 watching the video below, take a few minutes to let the experience sink in. If it feels right, leave a comment.
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Pagan Coming Out Day – May 2nd
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