Buddhist Catholic Contemplative Evangelical General Christian Hindu Jewish Latter-day Saint Muslim New Visions Progressive Christian

Beliefs

Topics

Columnists

Resource Library

Research Tools

Video

Podcasts

Thought Readers

Faith In Media Tracker

Newsletters

Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support

Follow Patheos

Home
Pagan
Nine Things I Think

Nine Things I Think

Last updated on: June 27, 2019 at 3:00 am by John Beckett

Nine Things I Think 2019-06-21T18:35:38-06:00 John Beckett

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

I haven’t done a Nine Things I Think post in over two years. I started the series in 2013 – I thought it would be a good way to cover things that aren’t long enough for their own individual posts. I stopped in 2017 because they weren’t well read, and because I’ve had no shortage of blog-length topics to write about.

But now I have another list of short things I want to talk about, so it’s time for another Nine Things I Think.

1. Paganism In Depth – A Polytheist Approach. My second book was released for sale on June 8. The title is very descriptive of the content – it’s a “next level” Pagan book that goes deeper, from a polytheist perspective. It covers the ideas, concepts, and principles on which my Paganism is built. It has a strong emphasis on practice – all the things we do on a regular basis that build our skills and strengthen our relationships with our Gods and spirits. And it addresses many of the challenges we face in moving from a casual Paganism to a deep Paganism.

Paganism in Depth is available from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Llewellyn, and at selected book stores and magic shops. If you see me at a Pagan gathering I’ll have copies to sell, and I’ll be happy to sign your book no matter where you bought it.

2. Paganism In Depth – the on-line class. Do you want to take your Paganism deeper? Do you want to explore polytheism with guidance from a practicing devotional polytheist? Then sign up for Paganism In Depth – the On-line Class. This will be a six-week class based on the new book. It wasn’t written as a textbook, but I think we can use it for that just fine.

Each week will have a video presentation delivered on-demand. Classes will have reading, practice, and writing about what you experience. None of that is mandatory – if you don’t want to do the homework that’s your business. But if you go to the trouble of doing it, I’ll go to the trouble of reading what you turn in and offering feedback.

The cost is $50 for the entire 6-week series, and there will be a limited number of scholarships available for those experiencing financial difficulties.

Sign-up begins July 5 – look for announcements here, and on Facebook and Twitter. The class begins August 1st.

3. Mystic South – workshops. I’ll be at the third annual Mystic South conference in Atlanta July 19 – 21. It’s quickly become my favorite Pagan conference. Here are my comments on last year’s gathering, and on the inaugural gathering in 2017.

This year’s headliners are Lilith Dorsey, Sangoma Oludoye, and Jason Mankey, and Tuatha Dea are the musical guests.

I’ll be presenting “Connecting to the Land Where You Are” on Friday at 12:30 in the Azalea Room, and “Self-care for Priests and Other Pagan Leaders” on Saturday at 12:30, also in the Azalea Room.

4. Mystic South – conversations. One of my favorite parts of any Pagan gathering are the one-on-one and small group conversations you just can’t have anywhere else. Several of you have approached me via e-mail and on Facebook about something you want to talk about. I have quite a few obligations, and I want to get to some of the other presentations (the schedule is really good and really full), but I want to have as many of these conversations as possible.

I’m arriving Thursday and should be in by late afternoon – Thursday evening is pretty open. After that, it just depends. Contact me when you get in (FB Messenger, text, in-person) and let’s set up something.

5. UU Sunday Services. I’ll be presenting a shorter version of “Connecting to the Land Where You Are” in a UU Sunday service at the Denton Unitarian Universalist Fellowship in Denton Texas on July 28, and at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Victoria Texas on August 25. If you’re in the area, come out and say hello.

6. The kindness of the Gods. Weekend before last I was in Seattle for a private event. I was supposed to fly back to Dallas on Sunday evening, but storms in North Texas caused my flight to be canceled. And because I have no status with any of the airlines, the soonest I could get back was Tuesday evening. Thankfully, I have a paying job that’s understanding, and a good friend who put me up for two nights (Have you seen Joe Perri’s photography? It’s awesome). Instead of going back to work on Monday, or hanging out in the airport, I spent the day visiting waterfalls around Mount Rainier.

The Gods I serve are demanding. Sometimes They can be harsh. But other times They can be extremely kind, and for that I am very, very thankful.

7. But now I’m out of vacation. My paying job is understanding, but I still had to burn two days of vacation I was saving for other trips later in the year. I’ve got enough left for the late December trip my wife and I take every year, but that’s it. If you were thinking about inviting me to your Pagan Pride Day or other gathering later this year, I won’t be able to get away.

On one hand, that’s disappointing. I love going to conferences and gatherings, like the Southern New Hampshire Pagan Pride Day in 2017 and the ADF Rocky Mountain Retreat in 2018. On the other hand, I’m not exactly young anymore, and it’s getting harder and harder to get home late Sunday night and go back to work on Monday morning.

8. I’m already planning 2020 travel. There are two gatherings on my permanent schedule: the ADF Texas Imbolc Retreat in February and Mystic South in July. And I’m planning a major vacation / pilgrimage for May – where depends on world events. Beyond that, while I have a lot of vacation by American standards (due to 22 years with the same employer) there are only so many trips I can do.

If you’re planning a retreat, convention, or other Pagan gathering and you’d like me to speak, present, and/or lead ritual, the sooner we start talking the better the odds I’ll be able to attend. I don’t charge an appearance fee – I do expect travel expenses to be covered.

ADF Rocky Mountain Retreat – 2018

9. Current thoughts on the 2020 election. Enough about me. Back in April I wrote The Reasonable Liberal’s Guide to the 2020 Democratic Primary. Since then we’ve had even more candidates declare for the Democratic nomination for President. I agree with whoever said that some of them need to drop out and run for Senate, or the House, or even a position in their state legislature. All but one of them are going to lose – they need to be doing something productive.

Joe Biden’s personal conduct is showing why he’s not Presidential material. He’s better than Trump, but that’s not saying much. The candidates I want to like – Kamala Harris, Corey Booker, and Tulsi Gabbard – have done nothing to grab my attention.

Elizabeth Warren continue to impress me with her calm demeanor and her detailed policy proposals. As much as I want a dynamic candidate who can inspire people – especially the ones who voted for Obama in 2008 and 2012 but stayed home in 2016 – it’s more important to find someone who can govern well. Warren has convinced me she can do that.

But I’m still listening to anyone and everyone.

The Iowa caucuses are February 3, the New Hampshire primary is February 11, and Super Tuesday (which includes Texas this time) is March 3.

Previous Post

June 25, 2019

Opportunities in the Storm

Next Post

June 30, 2019 Like Taking Selfies With an Elk: Approaching the Fair Folk with Ignorance and Arrogance

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Books Community CUUPS Druidry Foundations and Context Gods and Goddesses Magic Myth Nature Ritual Spiritual Practice Theology Travel Uncategorized Videos

Select a Month October 2026 September 2026 August 2026 July 2026 June 2026 May 2026 April 2026 March 2026 February 2026 January 2026 December 2025 November 2025 October 2025 September 2025 August 2025 July 2025 June 2025 May 2025 April 2025 March 2025 February 2025 January 2025 December 2024 November 2024 October 2024 September 2024 August 2024 July 2024 June 2024 May 2024 April 2024 March 2024 February 2024 January 2024 December 2023 November 2023 October 2023 September 2023 August 2023 July 2023 June 2023 May 2023 April 2023 March 2023 February 2023 January 2023 December 2022 November 2022 October 2022 September 2022 August 2022 July 2022 June 2022 May 2022 April 2022 March 2022 February 2022 January 2022 December 2021 November 2021 October 2021 September 2021 August 2021 July 2021 June 2021 May 2021 April 2021 March 2021 February 2021 January 2021 December 2020 November 2020 October 2020 September 2020 August 2020 July 2020 June 2020 May 2020 April 2020 March 2020 February 2020 January 2020 December 2019 November 2019 October 2019 September 2019 August 2019 July 2019 June 2019 May 2019 April 2019 March 2019 February 2019 January 2019 December 2018 November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012 April 2012 March 2012 February 2012 January 2012 December 2011 November 2011 October 2011 September 2011 August 2011 July 2011 June 2011 May 2011 April 2011 March 2011 February 2011 January 2011 December 2010 November 2010 October 2010 September 2010 August 2010 July 2010 June 2010 May 2010 April 2010 March 2010 February 2010 January 2010 December 2009 November 2009 October 2009 September 2009 August 2009 July 2009 June 2009 May 2009 April 2009 March 2009 February 2009 January 2009 December 2008 November 2008 October 2008 September 2008 August 2008 July 2008 June 2008

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

You are robbing me in tithes and offerings. Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse and test me in this. What will I do?

Select your answer to see how you score.

Open the floodgates of heaven Forgive you Return it tenfold Care for the poor