Naturalistic Paganism
Tripping With the Gods – On Entheogenic Spirituality:, (Part 4 of 5) by Wayne Martin Mellinger, Ph.D. [The Dionysian Naturalist]
THE ENTHEOGENIC EXPERIENCE
Through the process of consuming entheogenic sacraments people can “wake up” to their “True Nature”, gaining liberation and freedom from the limitations of ordinary life. Through these processes we become introduced to the mysteries of Ultimate Reality (Wilber 2018). These events occur in a non-ordinarily state of awareness distinct from our orientations in mundane everyday life. Here I briefly elaborate on the nature of that state.
Get Ready for a Great Perseid Meteor Shower this Year! August 11-14, by Starstuff, Contemplating
She thought she could now actually feel the Earth turn–not just imagine it in her head, but really feel it in the pit of her stomach. It was like descending in a fast elevator. She craned her neck back further, so her field of view was uncontaminated by anything on Earth, until she could see nothing but black sky and bright stars. Gratifyingly, she was overtaken by
Happy Summer Thermstice/Lammas!
Celebrations
Heat! Productivity! Success! Growing Darkness! These and many other themes join with the baking of bread and early harvest celebrations of Lunasa. What could better exemplify heat and productivity than the casting of molten metal into Atheopagan medallions? Check it out!
The growing darkness has already given us wonderful views of Comet Neowise. Though the comet is effectively gone, the Perseid meteor shower is right around the corner, August 11-14.
As a special Lunasa treat, check out this Lammas music from Bart Everson. It could be part of a ritual, solitary observation, or just having around now.
Some of the ways many of us are celebrating were recently published. For my family, celebrations with our annual Lunasa blueberry harvest and evening ritual will be today! We are also going on a wilderness quest for the glowing stones of awe – Yooperlites!
For some of us, the celebrations will be later this week – the actual midpoint between the Solstice and the Equinox is August 7th. However you are celebrating (including Imbolc celebrations in the Southern Hemisphere), may your be celebration be blessed.
The Summer Cross-Quarter (Summer Thermstice) Approaches!
Warm weather makes for pleasant stargazing, and the universe this year has already given us Comet Neowise (which is still barely visible but now has dropped to dimmer than 4th magnitude). Also, this year will give us the best Perseid show for the past few years coming right up on August 12th (more on that soon)! In the Northern Hemisphere, the Autumn cross-quarter or Summer Thermstice is celebrated on August 1 as Lughnasadh/Lammas/Lunasa. How will you be celebrating it? Astronomically, the event occurs on August 6th for those in the United States, but at that moment it will already be August 7th UTC. Read More
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Pagan Coming Out Day – May 2nd
Naturalistic Paganism 