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THE WINNER! Your New Atheopagan Symbol
We gotta winner! We went through an extensive process and considered many possibilities, but in the end this symbol was the overwhelming favorite in the final round of voting to select an Atheopagan symbol. Congratulations to Linden Weaver and Rua Lupa for the concept and the finalization of this beautiful design! Now, nothing can please everyone. I’m sure there is some disappointment out there (my proposals, for the record, washed out before the final round of voting). Many of the designs were really good and I’m grateful to all of those who submitted them. As with everything in Atheopaganism, remember that if you don’t like this symbol, you are free…
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My Pagan Purple Heart
I’m afraid that unless I find a voice-dictation solution soon, posts to this site are going to slow for awhile. I was helping to set up the ritual fire circle at Ignite last Thursday, and I fell from the back of a large pickup truck, belly-flopping onto the road with my left arm underneath me. It swelled instantly, but we (the onsite nurse and I) concluded it was a bad sprain, wrapped it, and I started a regimen of icing and NSAIDs. The pain was pretty serious, but manageable, and I went on to have powerful, beautiful experiences at the three all-night fire circles that followed. On Monday, after my return, I went…
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Ritual Practice of an Hellenic Atheopagan
EDITOR’S NOTE: The Pagan path of Atheopaganism as it is generally described on this site is free both of credulity in literal gods and of “soft theism”, or the usage of god-images, names and meanings as metaphorical in religious practice. But for some, this soft theism adds a valued layer of meaning to their practice. Here, guest writer Richard C. Sansing describes how he has cross-referenced figures in the traditional Tarot deck with Classical Greek mythological figures. Richard’s Focus My ritual practice combines the intellectual foundations of Atheopaganism with the symbolism of Greek mythology. My Focus is simple, featuring a figurine of Prometheus bringing fire to mankind and my childhood copy…
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Innovation Versus Tradition in Paganism
The mainstream current of modern Paganism has made much of celebrating “Ancient Ways” and “Old Gods”. This creates an inherent tension between old (or putatively old) practices and beliefs and the innovations and achievements of modernity. Elements of the broad Pagan umbrella range widely across this expanse. At one pole, you have Reconstructionists, for whom ancient ideas and practices are pretty much everything, and those of other paths who choose to continue to believe (despite much scholarship to the contrary) that today’s Paganism derives from an unbroken lineage of tradition stemming from medieval times or earlier. At the other, there is Atheopaganism, which draws forward some traditional activities, but contextualizes…
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Ave Fortuna!
A guest post by Kaigi-Ron Ave is the principle of gratitude. Of recognizing, in each moment, how incredibly lucky you are…because it could’ve gone another way. It could be so very much worse…but, fortunately, it isn’t. Ave Fortuna! It all started with the Focus to Fortuna. In this world ruled by chaos, she rolls the dice. They cannot be unrolled. So it goes. I added miniature decks (both standard playing card and tarot), a pewter ship (the winds of change), plus a full set of D&D dice. May the Odds Be Ever in Your Favor… …and I’m reminded of a passage from Leonard Mladinow’s book The Drunkard’s Walk – all about how we perceive randomness. Think for a…
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Atheopagan Rites of Passage
Traditionally, rituals have not only been for holidays or personal practice. They also mark milestones in life, when something major is occurring and the community wants to acknowledge that change. Naming ceremonies, passages into adulthood, weddings, and funerals are all examples of rites of passage. This is a tradition that appears to go back a long way. There is a Paleolithic cave in France which preserves the footprints of children dancing in a circle, and it is possible that this evidence, plus the hundreds of hand prints—each of a different person—found on the walls of many of these caves marks the traces of truly ancient passage rites. In such caves, the…
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FINAL ROUND: Atheopagan Symbol Contest
Okay, here we go! We’re almost there. This is the final grouping of symbols from which to choose. Three are the top three vote-getters from the previous round; four are late submissions that I wanted to make sure had a chance. Please vote here or on the Facebook group for ONE ONLY, by JULY 31. Thanks so much to everyone who submitted designs and for your participation in this community process!
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In Memoriam: Morwen Two Feathers
“To know who I REALLY am, you have to look into my eyes and dance when I drum.” I learned today that my friend Morwen Two Feathers has died, following five years of living with brain cancer. Morwen and her husband were among the early pioneers of what would come to be known as the Fire Circle tradition, a ritual tradition that is now practiced in many events throughout the country and the world, by a community of which I have been a happy member since the early 2000s. She was a woman of kindness, wisdom, humor and integrity, and a terrific ritual drummer. For more than 25 years, Morwen was…
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Moon Meet: Free or Discounted Tix!
Due to a generous contribution, we are able to offer some FREE or discounted admissions to Moon Meet, happening in Sonoma County, California on Aug. 24-26! If you would like to take advantage of this, please email me ASAP at atheopagan@comcast.net Moon Meet is an in-person gathering of Atheopagans and friends for fellowship, workshops, discussions and rituals. I hope to meet you there!
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Seize the (Unusual) Day!
Recently, I posted about customizing your own Atheopagan Wheel of the Year— creating a cycle of observances of the equinoxes, solstices and points between as an 8-holiday cycle of rituals and traditions. However, I believe there are more holidays (“holy days”) than just these. Those on the Wheel are the ones we can predict will come every year, but there are also unusual and amazing phenomena that come along once in a very great while which we should also take time out to celebrate. Here where I live in Northern California, for example, thunder and lightning are almost unheard of. They require a combination of precipitation and heat that we just…
