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Foundations and Context

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August 2023

August 15, 2023

Modern Pagan Metaphysics

Announcing a new on-line class from Under the Ancient Oaks: “Modern Pagan Metaphysics.” Registration is...

August 10, 2023

8 Things I Still Believe From Childhood

Children often believe strange things – I was no exception to this rule. There some...

June 2023

June 28, 2023

Evangelicals Claim Paganism Isn’t Really Pagan

Two Evangelical writers claim that Paganism is somehow inauthentic because it doesn’t exactly match the...

May 2023

May 31, 2023

Magical Ethics: How You Do Anything is How You Do Everything

Magic often presents ethical conundrums, but at the end of the day, there’s no such...

April 2023

April 19, 2023

An Apocalypse Is In The Air

Whatever is going on, it’s no longer just Pagans and witches who are noticing it....

April 09, 2023

Once You’ve Had a Taste of the Otherworld

The Gods I serve and who occasionally allow me to experience them directly have forbidden...

March 2023

March 15, 2023

The Great War in the Otherworld and in this World

For all that it’s important to pay attention to what’s going on in this world,...

February 2023

February 01, 2023

We’re Living in an Era of High Magic

We have more opportunities to learn magic and to work magic than any of our...

January 2023

January 04, 2023

Paganism: It’s Not For Everyone

Finding and following this path was critically important to my spiritual growth and depth, and...

October 2022

October 16, 2022

The Problem With Common Sense

Voltaire said “common sense is not so common.” But another problem with common sense is...

July 2022

July 03, 2022

Leaving Bad Religion For Good

I was contacted by someone who feels called to Paganism, but they’re struggling to let...

May 2022

May 25, 2022

Reason and Religion Go Hand in Hand – Especially Paganism

An atheist social scientist found that reason doesn’t lead people to atheism, and he’s honest...

March 2022

March 31, 2022

What Will Your Next Life Be Like?

If you believe in reincarnation, what do you think – or hope – your next...

March 01, 2022

Religious Authenticity: What Works, Not What’s Oldest

Too many people look for religious and spiritual authenticity in the past. There are reasons...

February 2022

February 15, 2022

Explaining Paganism to the Curious but Religiously Ignorant

Trying to explain Paganism to those who judge every religion by Christian standards is difficult....

February 06, 2022

An Atheist Hopes For Reincarnation

An atheist blogger hopes that reincarnation is real. I believe it’s real, but I hold...

December 2021

December 07, 2021

Do You Really Want To Find Your Destiny?

Lots of people talk about destiny: how to find it, how to follow it, how...

November 2021

November 04, 2021

Some are Called, Some are Claimed, and Some Delude Themselves

Some are called by the Gods. Some are claimed. Some are deluding themselves. The existence...

October 2021

October 21, 2021

A Pagan Theology of the Dead

Before we talk about how we work with the dead, we need to talk about...

August 2021

August 31, 2021

A Reflection on a Blogger Leaving Paganism for Atheism

Tyson Chase, who blogged as Salt City Pagan on the Patheos Agora blog, has left...

August 08, 2021

Can You Choose Your Beliefs?

Can you choose your beliefs? Not directly, and not easily. But there are steps you...

August 03, 2021

Spiritual Warfare and the Need for a Pagan Worldview

There is conflict in the spirit world. The stories of our ancestor say there is....

August 01, 2021

How to Hack Your Worldview

If you can’t get past your foundational assumptions – those things we assume are true...

July 2021

July 15, 2021

No, You Didn’t Choose to Suffer

Many people would rather believe they agreed to their own suffering than to accept the...

April 2021

April 18, 2021

Ancestor Work

I’ve seen a lot of talk about ancestors and ancestor work recently, including some truly...

February 2021

February 21, 2021

Setting Expectations for Spiritual Experiences

I’m thankful for stories of otherworldly experiences. When we tell our stories we give other...

January 2021

January 17, 2021

Tower Time: Chaos, Decline, and Opportunity

Tower Time is bringing chaos and disruption, but it’s also bringing opportunity. And it punishes...

January 12, 2021

Navigating Tower Time – Magic for an Era of Change

Announcing a new on-line class from Under the Ancient Oaks: “Navigating Tower Time – Magic...

November 2020

November 29, 2020

Paganism as a Religion of Relationships

For most people throughout history, religion was not and is not about beliefs. Rather, religion...

October 2020

October 25, 2020

Thinking About the Veil Between the Worlds

The Veil Between the Worlds is a metaphor for the boundary between this world and...

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