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March 2018

March 28, 2018

Book Review: “Sex Magic” by Frater U∴ D∴

The book generally does a stellar job of addressing its topic in a clear, conversational...

March 23, 2018

Horses and Zebras: Some Further Thoughts on Abuse in Our Communities

For a movement that places so much value on personal, spiritual, and sexual autonomy, we...

March 18, 2018

Witch-Aesthetics Redux, or, Everything Old Is New Again (Except Us)

If you're suspecting that I'm about to call this a manifestation of misogyny, you're exactly...

March 15, 2018

We Can Be Heroes: Some Thoughts in the Wake of #NationalSchoolWalkoutDay

We live in a world on fire, and we cannot wait for a hero to...

March 10, 2018

Witch-Aesthetics and the Elitism of Curmudgeonry

One of the things witchcraft is for is empowering people who've been disempowered and trodden...

March 09, 2018

On Being a Witch: The Relationships at the Heart of the Craft

If witchcraft is what witches do, then the witch is the Other who does the...

March 03, 2018

Stations of the Day: Encompassing the Indefinability of Witchcraft

Sometimes, I'm asked what witchcraft is. Rather than a definition, what I have are memories,...

March 01, 2018

Answer Me These Questions Three: A Word for Discerning Seekers

The story of the Seeker is a classic, almost a folk ballad in its structure,...

February 2018

February 24, 2018

Words Mean Things: A Resource for Discussing Gender and Sexuality

Gender and sexuality can seem a lot more complicated nowadays, especially without the language to...

February 22, 2018

Some Unconventional Thoughts about Pagan Conventions

That's not to say that conventions aren't important, or filled with magic. They can be...

February 16, 2018

Safer Sex Magic: How to Learn Sex Magic in Three Easy Steps!

It's time to get down to brass tacks... but first, I apologize for any misapprehensions...

February 10, 2018

Safer Sex Magic: Getting Down to Business, As It Were

It's not surprising that our ancestors came up with the idea of using sex as...

February 08, 2018

Safer Sex Magic: Dancing in the Thicket Between Science and Religion

Magic is notoriously one of those words where, if you ask any ten practitioners, you'll...

February 04, 2018

Safer Sex Magic: Let’s Talk About (How We Talk About) Sex, Baby

Coming up with a universally-accepted definition for sex is a fool's game, but I've never...

February 02, 2018

After the Mirror: An Ending, with Neither Closure nor Resolution

Sexual abuse and sexualized violence are very real problems in our communities, as in our...

January 2018

January 27, 2018

After the Mirror: A Brief Interlude on Words and Power

Words are magic, and yours no less than mine. Our words and actions together change...

January 25, 2018

After the Mirror: Now Here, Nowhere—Where Now?

If we want to our communities to be the safe, welcoming spaces we tell ourselves...

January 20, 2018

After the Mirror: A Personal Recollection of Complicity

I ended my last post by saying I know about missing stairs from personal experience....

January 19, 2018

After the Mirror: The Missing Stair and the Enabling of Abuse

The missing stair is that problematic person we all know is a problem, but who...

January 13, 2018

A Long, Cold Look in the Mirror

The responsibility for preventing abuse in our communities doesn't lie with the victims or the...

January 10, 2018

Memories of the First Books: Deities & Demigods

D&D encouraged me to explore the vast array of spiritual traditions throughout history, beyond the...

January 05, 2018

A Blessing for the New Year

It's traditional to start the new year off with introspection, contemplation, and a resolution or...

December 2017

December 28, 2017

Sharpening Your Knives: Three Simple Tools for Developing Discernment

With the exception of a few gifted folks, magic and spirituality are hard work. Not...

December 26, 2017

The Spaces Between: Discernment and the Power of “Yes-And”

In a culture which pushes us to believe in the binary choices of yes or...

December 22, 2017

Leviathan Grumbles: Simplicity and the Betrayal of Discourse

Anti-intellectualism is an attitude of bad faith which violates the principles of discourse. Moreover, its...

December 15, 2017

Down Comforters, Army Blankets, and the Necessary Problem of Nuance

Nuance lives in the spaces between binaries, thriving in shadings and shadows, dancing on the...

December 12, 2017

Gods Behaving Badly: Managing Outcomes When Things Get Complicated

If a god is leaning on you, they tend to have a reason for it....

December 10, 2017

#NotAllGods, and Some Rules of Thumb for Working with Gods

While some folks disagree on this point, I maintain quite firmly that human beings are...

December 06, 2017

Saying No to Gods, and Other Challenges of the Path

...the gods relate to us for their own reasons, just as we relate to them...

December 03, 2017

The Toxic Narrative of “Being Chosen” by Gods and Bad Boys

Once we've cast ourselves as powerless protagonists at the mercy of domineering, socially inept aggressors,...

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