Naturalistic Paganism

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No-Nonsense Paganism: My Winter Ritual

It’s really not a complicated ritual. There’s a a simple but powerful gesture–passing the flame–and a recitation of poem that resonates deeply with me and gestures to something bigger than I can easily explain. And there’s a little deliberate structuring to give it shape. And that’s it.

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No-Nonsense Paganism: Creating a Ritual (part 2)

Ritual is the product of a conscious form applied to unconscious content. The most evocative rituals I have created came from somewhere other than my rational mind. They combined intuitive bodily movements with what W.H. Auden called “privately numinous words”, words that I had read or heard which had a talismanic-like effect on me.

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No-Nonsense Paganism: Creating a Ritual (part 1)

Ritual is the product of a conscious form applied to unconscious content. The most evocative rituals I have created came from somewhere other than my rational mind. They combined intuitive bodily movements with what W.H. Auden called “privately numinous words”, words that I had read or heard which had a talismanic-like effect on me.

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No-Nonsense Paganism: Thinking About Winter Ritual

To live a pagan life, we need practices, rituals and observances which saturate everyday life. They don’t need to be demanding, but the frequency is important. We need daily practices, but we also need more than eight special days.

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A Pedagogy of Gaia, by Bart Everson: “Solstice Connections”

What is the reason for the reason? It’s not the solstice per se, but the instinct behind it. It’s “the same instinct” behind Natalis Invicti. What is that instinct? It wasn’t until I encountered the Wheel of the Year that I started making the necessary connections.

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