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History and Religion

2026-09-04T22:55:20-04:00

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.

There’s Magic in These Mountains

Last updated on: September 4, 2026 at 10:55 pm By Heather Blankenship

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Drive far enough into the mountains of western North Carolina and the landscape begins to feel ancient. Morning fog settles into the valleys. Rhododendron crowds the creek banks. Old cemeteries cling to hillsides, and narrow roads disappear into hollows where families have lived for generations, including mine. My father’s side of the family settled in the North Carolina mountains in the early 1700s. It wasn’t women in pointy hats dancing naked under the moon. The real history of Appalachian... Read more

Pagan

2025-04-29T17:11:13-04:00

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.

Fire and Flower: Celebrating Beltane as a Solitary Pagan

Last updated on: April 29, 2025 at 5:11 pm By Heather Blankenship

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As the wheel of the year turns toward Beltane, the Northern hemisphere awakens with the graceful and dynamic energy of spring. The air warms, the days grow longer, and it feels like everything is coming out of a deep slumber. Beltane, which is traditionally celebrated on May 1st, marks the height of spring and the beginning of summer. It sits halfway between the Spring Equinox and the Summer Solstice. It’s a time of fire, fertility, and the sacred union of... Read more

Pagan

2025-03-15T12:05:32-04:00

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.

Spring Cleaning: Appalachian Folk Magic Style

Last updated on: March 15, 2025 at 12:05 pm By Heather Blankenship

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Spring has always been a time of renewal, both physically and spiritually. In Appalachian folk magic, spring cleaning isn’t just about tidying up—it’s about clearing out old energy, protecting the home, and inviting blessings for the new season. This practice is deeply rooted in both European and Indigenous traditions, passed down through generations in the mountains. Since I’ve been diving into the practices of my ancestors, I thought it would be fun to share some of these traditions. Spring Cleaning... Read more

Pagan

2025-02-06T17:07:04-05:00

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.

Connecting with Ancestral Wisdom: A Guide for Pagan Women

Last updated on: February 6, 2025 at 5:07 pm By Heather Blankenship

Connecting to Our Pagan Ancestors as Women In one of my previous articles, I shared a little bit about one of my ancestors – a woman who worked as a midwife, herbalist, and doctor in the North Carolina Appalachian Mountains. She was respected and honored, but she would have likely been horrified to have been referred to as a witch. The Southeastern United States is heavily steeped in Protestantism, and the main religions during her time and mine were Baptist... Read more

Pagan

Women in Religion

2025-02-05T16:36:19-05:00

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.

Where Pagan and Christian Traditions Meet: A Hidden History

Last updated on: February 5, 2025 at 4:36 pm By Heather Blankenship

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The Holy and the Heathen: A Look At How They Blended When I first stepped away from Catholicism and into the world of pagan spirituality, I thought I was abandoning one belief system entirely to embrace another. However, throughout history things simply don’t work that way—and neither does spirituality. The boundary between the “holy” and the “heathen” has always been more porous than some might want to believe. I don’t pretend to speak for all pagans or heathens, but in... Read more

Pagan

General Christian

2023-11-02T12:18:21-04:00

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.

My Third Great Grandmother was a Wise Woman

Last updated on: November 2, 2023 at 12:18 pm By Heather Blankenship

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Doesn’t everyone dream of finding out something kind of cool about one of your ancestors? This finally happened to me the other day. I was at my father’s house and he had brought out some old photo albums. As I slowly turned the pages, I enjoyed seeing the pictures of my dad as a child and teenager, as well as his young adulthood. There were pictures of my grandparents as a young couple, and then there were some even... Read more

Uncategorized

2023-06-29T15:16:10-04:00

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.

My Journey from Baptist to Catholic to Pagan

Last updated on: June 29, 2023 at 3:16 pm By Heather Blankenship

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I can practically see the eyebrows raised as I wrote the title for this article. But that was my initial spiritual journey. I was born into a strict, Southern Baptist family, and my first memories are of Vacation Bible School. While the rest of my family (aunts, uncles, grandparents, and cousins) were all Sunday churchgoers, my parents really weren’t. They were forced to go every Sunday when they were growing up, and had no desire to do so as adults.... Read more

Pagan

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