Naturalistic Paganism
Category: An Atheopagan Life
Hail, the Magnificent Sun!, by Mark Green [an Atheopagan Life]
At noon on the longest day is the time to salute the Sun, whose energy drives Life on planet Earth. Among my observances, I harvest long stalks of dry wild rye to bind into my Sun-broom, a ritual tool with which I spread (metaphorical) Light throughout the year…pretty handy to have in December, when the dark of the year brings gloom into the house before the candles and lights of Yule. And I lay a couple of bright crystals in the sun to warm and catch the light, to carry the light of the Sun on my Focus (altar) throughout the year.
Read MoreYule: The Light in the Darkness, by Mark Green [an Atheopagan Life]
Let us be the People of the Returning Light, knowing that however bad it gets, they cannot kill every seed that waits in the soil, every heart burning for justice.
They cannot defeat us unless we let ourselves be defeated. Here, at the moment on the Wheel when we draw near to those we love to stave off the grim reality of winter, let us take this season more deeply into us, as we will be needing Yule not only in December, but throughout the coming years.
Read MoreLiving in Dark Days, by Mark Green [an Atheopagan Life]
While we have great challenges ahead of us, we have an advantage our opponents do not: we are not cold-hearted and remorseless. We aspire instead to be the best humanity can be. Light a candle. Burn incense. Sing. Dance. Keep on living in the fullness of who you are.
Read MoreMy Favorite Ritual Tool, by Mark Green [an Atheopagan Life]
It’s common for humans to have things with symbolic meaning…what we often call “sentimental value”. Atheopagans are just more deliberate about it, and conscious of how to use these associations for our psychological benefit.
What are your favorite ritual tools?
Read MoreThe Sabbath of Water, by Mark Green
The tension there, I feel, is between maintaining traditions—something of great value in instilling rituals with power and continuity—and facing up to what is actually happening in the world in that particular year. I don’t have easy answers for how to bridge that gap, but I suspect it lies in changing the traditions just a little, to better suit the times.
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Pagan Coming Out Day – May 2nd
