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January 2021

January 04, 2021

Sunset Doesn’t Last All Evening: A Coda and a Benediction

Nothing gold can stay... or, to steal a line from George Harrison, all things must...

December 2020

December 26, 2020

The Company We Keep: On Ethics, Values, and Bigotry in Our Communities

Why do we tolerate bad actors in our communities? And what does it say about...

October 2020

October 30, 2020

A Word Before the Drop: On Politics, Ethics, and Compassion

We're on the even of the most important election of our lifetimes, one that literally...

July 2020

July 13, 2020

A Hole in Our Midst: On Moral Vulnerabilities in Esoteric Communities

Our communities have made themselves safe spaces for entitled, selfish jerks who make our spaces...

February 2020

February 15, 2020

The People Who Aren’t There: Closing Remarks, PantheaCon 2020

I want to ask you all one last favor: I want you to look around...

October 2019

October 01, 2019

Poking Bears, Striking Nerves: Talking to White Pagans about Racism (Some More)

Here are a few things I’ve noticed about talking with white Pagans about racism. These...

September 2019

September 27, 2019

Habits and Slips: Paganism’s Recurring, Tiresome Problem with Racism

Sometimes that racism is overt: shaven-headed, tatted-up dudes spouting white-supremacist dog-whistles. Most of the time,...

August 2019

August 29, 2019

What’s in Your Appendix N? (Memories of the First Books #4)

I was ruminating on the similarities between geek culture and p-word culture, and the thought...

August 20, 2019

So, You Want to Start a Pagan Blog: A Handful of Hard-Won Lessons

One of the weird things about being a writer is that people sometimes assume that...

July 2019

July 15, 2019

A Dollop of Analysis: Further Observations on Racism and White Fragility

If the modern Pagan and polytheist communities aren't willing to be inclusive of all races...

March 2019

March 29, 2019

The Unbearable Whiteness of Being Pagan: Some Observations on White Fragility in Esoteric Spiritual Movements

For some Pagans, the core of their belief system isn't Paganism, polytheism, witchcraft, or magic:...

October 2018

October 19, 2018

Points of the Triangle: The Victim, the Persecutor, and the Rescuer

Let's dig a little deeper into how the dynamics of Karpman's drama triangle manifest in...

August 2018

August 14, 2018

Scribing the Triangle: Some Thoughts on Power Dynamics in Our Communities

If we're honest with ourselves, about ourselves, I think we'll find is that a lot...

August 13, 2018

Banishing the Boogeyman of Cultural Marxism, and Other Pastimes

Everyone's entitled to their own brand of ignorance and damnfoolishness... up to a point. For...

August 03, 2018

Choosing Who We Are: Boundaries and Inclusivity in Our Communities

The trouble is, radical inclusivity makes it really difficult to develop or enforce shared social...

May 2018

May 02, 2018

Snapshots and Sketches: A Rueful Panegyric for “The Community”

Maybe there never was a "community" after all, just an assumption of universality papering over...

April 2018

April 04, 2018

Bedroom Temples and Broom Closets: On Praxis, Space, and Community

I enjoy group rituals and Pagan and polytheist conferences, but at the end of the...

March 2018

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 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,...

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