Naturalistic Paganism
Category: practice
A Shinto Experience in New Zealand by Megan Manson
It may seem strange that one of the most profoundly Shinto experiences I’ve had was in New Zealand. The whole trip, from the cave’s entrance to the meditative atmosphere of the glowworm chamber, felt like a pilgrimage to a particularly powerful Shinto shrine. To me, this visit to Te Ana-Au Glowworm Caves demonstrated how universal the concept behind Shinto – the sense of respect and awe we feel in the face of Nature’s wonders – really is, and that the kami themselves truly are to be found everywhere.
Read MoreHoliday Gift Ideas for Naturalistic Pagans
Just in time for Winter Solstice/Yule, here are some gift ideas to give or ask for! Of the items here, many will help your spiritual practice, enriching your day to day life. Others will help you be understood by loved ones, or help you open a child’s eyes to our glorious Universe. I’ve listed items for adults, then books/DVDs for adults, followed by the same two categories for parents/kids.
Read MoreYou can help every child realize that they are stardust!
For many of us Naturalistic Pagans, the roots of our spirituality can be traced back to when we first realized what a vast, ancient Universe we are part of. Often, that began with Carl Sagan’s Cosmos, or Neil deGrasse-Tyson’s more recent remake of Cosmos. We now have a chance to help bring that magic to more kids who are wondering about it all as well.
Read MoreDNA Testing: Making Ancestor Worship a Science! by Renee Lehnen
When people learn about their DNA, they strengthen their ties to our great big 7 billion member human family. Each and every one of us is the child of sturdy people who survived plagues, war, bad hair days, and myriad calamities. Our ancestors, royal and pauper, had a 100 per cent success rate in the game of life. We face the future with our illustrious, amazing, inherited DNA.
Read More[The Dionysian Naturalist] “Nature Religions and Revolutionary Social Change, Part 1” by Wayne Martin Mellinger, Ph.D.
This essay highlights contributions religion can bring to social movement struggles for justice and transformational politics. These are times which demand “engaged spirituality”, in which religious people actively engage with the world in order to transform it in positive ways while finding inspiration, moral support and guidance in their spiritual beliefs and practices. To those ends I advance a “practical theology of social change” focused on our intentional interventions to change the world (“praxis”), and outline some of its operating principles and spiritual practices.
Read MoreBuy Godless Paganism (paperback)
Buy Godless Paganism (ebook)
Pagan Coming Out Day – May 2nd
Naturalistic Paganism 