Naturalistic Paganism
Why Paganism is so revolutionary, Dealing with Difficult Family, the Fall Equinox, cults, and more! Recent Episodes of THE WONDER podcast, by Mark Green
How often does a podcast open your eyes to something you didn’t realize? Not too often for me, and even less often on subjects I’m familiar with. Yet, Episode 28, about why Paganism is so different, did so – when Yucca pointed out that religions often mirror the dominant politics around when they were founded. Well, Duh, one might think – but of course many truths are obvious once openly pointed out (and not beforehand). Also, did you know that while Atheopaganism doesn’t have a Pope, it does have a Nope! Who is that? (also Episode #28). Episode #29, helps us deal with those family points of friction (or worse) that affect many of us. Plus, Episodes on Urban Paganism, the Fall Equinox, and being safe from cults – All that more, on the page here.
Name Change for The Critical Thinking Witch Collective, and an online Conference! September 30 to October 2
Our Naturalistic/non-theistic Pagans community keeps growing! Along with the Atheopagan Suntree Retreat, and the A Witch Con, both last year and both explicitly for evidence based, critical thinking Pagans, now the second A Witch Con is just a few days away, so Register now!
Happy Fall Equinox!
Happy Fall Equinox, or Mabon! Of course, our spherical planet also gives us the beautiful symmetry of the Spring Equinox (& Ostara) being celebrated now by our Southern Hemisphere friends. The equinoctial moment, this year, is on September 22nd, at ~9 pm EDT.
Due to the geometrical arrangement of our Earth’s magnetic field compared to the solar wind from Sun, we become more vulnerable to the formation of cracks in our magnetic shield near the equinoxes – which can lead to some of the solar wind finding it’s way in, and producing auroras. For both hemispheres, the odds of an aurora are thus more likely near the equinoxes. Plus, because aurora happen from the poles, they are pretty much only visible from places where it is often cold. With our seasons lagged behind our changes in sunlight (explained here and here), that means that for both hemispheres, the fall equinox is much warmer (making it easier to be out at night to watch auroras)! That, coupled with the growing darkness, is why Mabon is a good Sabbat to dedicate to Auroras!
Though aurora’s aren’t horribly common, the solar cycle lends a little predictability them. Auroras are more likely during heightened solar activity, and due to the Sun’s internal dynamics, the amount of solar activity is on a roughly 11 year cycle. The graph above shows the most recent cycle, as well as where we are now. The good news is that solar cycle #25 has started roaring to life a bit early, so auroras are coming up! And it’s a fun coincidence that solar cycle 25 is going to reach it’s peak around 2025. Around Mabon especially, for the next several years, we have better than usual odds. I’ve seen auroras several times – they’re incredible! Whether you have seen them before or not, hopefully your chance is coming up soon!
Celebrations
Some of the ways many of us are celebrating were published a few weeks ago. In addition to those, the night sky is rapidly becoming more accessible now with the growing darkness. This growing darkness can be a reminder that this is a great time of year for campfires, and celestial events like auroras – especially with Solar Cycle #25 now starting up (see above)- or a time to look more inward. In whatever way you are celebrating, Happy Equinox!
Playlist for the Wheel of the Year: Autumn Equinox
Over the years, I have created rituals to celebrate the Wheel of the Year with my wife and children. Music has been an essential part of the experience. Without it, it would be much more difficult to create the sense of sacred time and space and to evoke the experience I desire for each ritual. So I want to share with you my playlist for each station on the Wheel of Year. Here’s the sixth list. Enjoy! And share your suggestions in the comments below.
Read MoreCatch this Rising Humanist Star! Anthony Pinn, Speaking on Inclusion – September 20, 6:30 pm EDT
In recent years, effort has been made to dismantle white privilege and better represent a diverse range of voices within the humanist movement. As Naturalistic Pagans, we are looking at this too, as any group should be doing.
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Pagan Coming Out Day – May 2nd
Naturalistic Paganism 