Naturalistic Paganism
Category: Columns
Building a Land Shrine, by Anna Walther
why build a land shrine?
Why build a land shrine? Because I felt called to, and because it makes me happy. The shrine is a place for me to pay respect to the land beneath my feet and the other beings with whom I share it. A place for me to express wonder and gratitude for the vast underground Edwards Aquifer that supplies my water, the rocky soil that grows some of my food and provides a foundation for my home, the humid air and searing sunlight that surround my body and sustain life. A specific place where I can continue meeting and growing relationship with other animals, plants, and minerals. A physical focus for observation, prayer, and offerings.
[Rotting Silver] “To Dionysos, After Reading Walt Whitman” by B. T. Newberg
To be in any form, what is that?–he says, O Dionysos, what is that? The man, he writes In long, sensuous lines a song about himself, As if to praise a god who slips between his thumbs, Makes a circuit…
Read MoreSacred Springs, Part 2 by Anna Walther
In “Sacred Springs, Part 1,” I described my first visit to Barton Springs, the most famous limestone springs in Austin, and explored the role that Barton and other major Edwards Aquifer springs play in indigenous spirituality. But there are many other artesian springs along Austin-area limestone creeks, including a small, unnamed spring just a mile from my home, near the headwaters of Walnut Creek in Northwest Austin. Last summer I spent time there grounded and centered, with senses wide open.
Read MoreSacred Springs, Part 1 by Anna Walther
Last summer I swam in Barton Springs, a spring-fed pool in the heart of downtown Austin. Native Americans have a vital, ritualistic relationship with the spring waters. The precise role the springs held in pre-Columbian indigenous spirituality is lost to time and conquest. I can take inspiration and guidance from Native American ways of relating to the Land, but must make my own practices and prayers.
Read MoreThe Naturalistic Pagan Toolbox: “Spiritual Naturalist Drumming” by DT Strain
As the famous jazz musician John Coltrane said, “All a musician can do is get closer to the sources of nature, and so feel that he is in communion with the natural laws”. Drumming, like any practice, may not be for everyone, but it is this very real and very natural enhanced perception that makes drumming a potential source of spiritual transformation.
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Pagan Coming Out Day – May 2nd
Naturalistic Paganism 