Naturalistic Paganism
What Humanistic Paganism Means to Me by Wendy Wilson
I am not completely without an idea of Deity, but a person-shaped Deity, one with a personality and desires, strikes me as counter-intuitive. I simply do not see any evidence for that idea. The idea that Deity represents “all that is” works for me, but I could just call that “nature” or the “Cosmos”. And a material Deity is not necessary for a spiritual life. I am the organizer of a group which celebrates seasonal changes and natural phenomena in ritual. Read More
Happy Summer Solstice!
(Winter Solstice/Yule for those in the Southern Hemisphere)
Our Universe (which we are part of), gives us unique gifts for each of our 8 Sabbats (and other days as we choose). This time, ramping up for Summer Solstice 2018, it’s the planet Mars!
What Naturalism Means to Me by Ryan Cronin
With the new year, we are starting a new series called, “What Naturalism Means to Me”. It is an opportunity for our readers, like you, to share what Naturalism means fto you. We are looking for essays between 1000-3000 words. Send your submissions to humanisticpaganism[at]gmail[dot]com.
When I first saw the call for submissions from Humanistic Paganism on this theme, I intended to write something philosophical; something about the role of Naturalism within a Pagan sensibility and the difference between a Naturalistic ecological understanding of the Sacred and a traditionally theistic one. But I realised, that doesn’t answer the question. It could explain what Naturalism means, but not what Naturalism means to me.
What does Naturalism mean to me? It means I have the right to exist. Read More
[A Pedagogy of Gaia] “School’s Out; Summer’s Here” by Bart Everson
[Photo by Bart Everson]
When does summer begin? Opinions vary. Read More
Letters from an Eccentric Uncle: A Naturalistic Pagan Reads the Havamal by Renee Lehnen
A guest must depart again on his way,
Nor stay in the same place ever;
If he bide too long on another’s bench
The loved one soon becomes loathed.
This straightforward advice to avoid over-staying a welcome appears in verse 35 of the Havamal as translated from Icelandic to English by Olive Bray in 1908. The Poetic Edda, which includes the Havamal, was written from oral sources in Iceland, probably in the 13th century. The Havamal, or “Words from the High One”, purports to guide mortals with the teachings of Odin, a major god in Germanic and Norse mythology. It’s northern Europe’s contribution to the collective wisdom of humanity and, though a relative youngster, it offers counsel alongside the I Ching, the Vedas, the Pali Canon, the Old Testament, classical Greek gnomic poetry, and other ancient texts. Read More
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Pagan Coming Out Day – May 2nd
Naturalistic Paganism 